Finding the best FPL differentials is an important part of Fantasy Premier League.
On paper, fantasy football is an easy game; pick the players that will get you the most points.
There’s one problem with this, though. Sometimes it’s very obvious who the best picks are, and despite their often high price, they will be picked by a lot of teams.
Generally, these players cannot be ignored. If you avoid the likes of De Bruyne, Son, and Salah, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep pace with the leaders of your respective leagues.
However, there will be times when you’ll intentionally need to go against the grain and find players to pick that few other teams have. These are known within the FPL community as ‘differentials’ or ‘differential picks’.
Name | Team | Position | Price | Pick % | Points | Points per Million | Last 3 GWs | Less Than 1% | Less Than 2% | Less Than 5% | Less Than 10% | Less Than 15% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The above table, which shows live data from the 2022/23 Premier League season, shows the best FPL differential options.
It applies throughout the season - GW1 to GW38. The results are sorted by points.
There are also filter options for team, position, and pick %. The first two are dropdowns whereas you can enter the pick % yourself.
The table will show players with pick percentages less than what you enter.
Points per million is another good metric to go by as, of course, this takes into consideration price. Budgets are often tight in FPL teams, so finding value for money is sometimes essential.
Read More: Best Value Players in all of FPL - Points per Million - Live Data
More importantly, you can break down the table by just how much of a differential you are looking for. This is achieved by clicking the drop-down box above the left-hand side of the table.
As with other live data tables featured on Fantasy Football Pundit, you can also search for a specific player or club. All columns are sortable by clicking the text at the top of each.
What is a Differential in FPL?
Players that are picked by 10% or less of teams are generally considered a differential. However, there is no official definition. The figure can move anywhere from 5% to 15%.
Basically, a differential player in Fantasy Premier League is one that will allow you to score more points than other teams by virtue of them not having said player.
Read More: Fantasy Premier League Team News - Predicted Lineups
The table also includes the option to filter by 1% and 2% if you're desperate to make a big move compared to the competition. Beware though, there tends to be a reason a player is only picked by 2% or less.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean there isn't a differential gem with such a small pick percentage.
If those percentages aren't specific enough for you, you can also limit it by taking the maximum TSB to display in the box at the bottom of the pick % column.
Template Teams vs Differentials
Template teams are teams that you'll see throughout the Fantasy Premier League leaderboards. They aren't always right but generally, these players will keep your score close to average or even above.
If you're riding high at the top of your mini-league, a template team of sorts is probably the way to go. There's no need to take any unnecessary risks!
Read More: Fantasy Premier League Player Stats - Points, Goals, BPS, More - Live Data
If you find yourself behind or even have aspirations of reaching the upper echelon of the overall ranks, then differential picks are a must.
Differential players are riskier, as evidenced by their lower TSB. The greater the risk though, the greater the reward.